Public Health Ontario has officially declared the end of the measles outbreak that plagued the province for nearly a year. The epidemiology report, released weekly, announced on Monday that the outbreak has come to a close. According to national guidelines, an outbreak is considered over 46 days after the last case’s rash appeared, with the final person linked to this outbreak developing the measles rash on August 21.
The outbreak, which affected a total of 2,375 individuals across 26 public health units, began on October 18 last year after exposure to a carrier from New Brunswick. Tragically, the outbreak resulted in the loss of two infants. One infant in southwestern Ontario passed away after their mother, who had contracted measles, gave birth prematurely. The other infant succumbed to the illness during Alberta’s separate ongoing outbreak.
While the measles outbreak in Ontario has ended, the report stresses the importance of remaining vigilant as measles continues to circulate in Canada. Public health officials are urged to stay on high alert to prevent further outbreaks.